Damper regulator set



Nov. 14,1944. M. H. FossuM 2,362,623

DAMPER REGULATOR SET Filed March 5, 1941 Patented Nov. 14, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DAMPER REGULATOR SET Maurice H; Fossum, St. Paul, Minn.

ApplicatiorrMarch 5, 1941,. Serial No. 381,783

8 Claims. (o1. 126-292 My, invention relates to an improvement in damper regulator sets, wherein it is desired to provide a novel means of supporting a damper in an air duct or the like.

In my previously filed application, Serial Nume ber 291,795, filed August 24, 1939, now Patent No. 2,263,080, November 18, 1941, I disclosed a damper supporting means for supporting a damper within an air duct. While this construction has proven satisfactory and practical in use, I have found that by changing the construction to some extent the device may be made more inexpensively than was thought possible previously. As it is, of course, desirable to construct the device as inexpensively as possible, I have found my construction to be of considerable advantage structurally over my previous device.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a damper regulator set which embodies the use of a clamping plate for the edge of the damper, which clamping plate is folded to provide an enlarged barrel edge of sufficient size to engage the edge of the damper even though the same is folded back upon itself to provide a beaded edge. In combination with this clamp I provide a clamp bolt which may be inserted when the damper is in place and which extends through the folded edge of the clamp.

It is a feature of my invention to provide a damper supporting means including a folded plate having a rounded enlarged barrel portion extending along the folded edge and to out a portion of the plate away so that a bolt extending through an aperture in the folded edge may be readily inserted and removed. The opposed sides of the folded plate extend closely adjacent one another to clamp the relatively thin damper plate therebetween under spring tension. The opening through which the bolt extends has its axis at substantially right angles to the fold between the opposed sides of the clamping plate and it would be difficult to insert or remove the bolt unless access were provided thereto. In order to permit easy insertion and removal of the pivot bolt one of the sides of the clamping plate is cut away.

It is a further feature of my invention to provide a damper support comprising a clamping plate folded between the ends and having the ends thereof close together and in inclined relationship. The fold between the sides of the clamping plate is enlarged into. barrelform. One edge of the barrel extends substantially flush with one side of the clamp. This permits one of the opposed sides to be flat through its, entire area to provide adequate support for the damper clamped thereagainst.

It is a further feature of my invention to provide a pivot bolt having a substantially T-shaped head which isofiset slightly to one side of the axis of the threaded shank thereof to provide a shoulder adjacent the bolt head. When the bolt is inserted through its aperature in the fold of the clamp and inserted into place, this shoulder engages the edge of the damper and tends to hold the bolt in place. In other words, when the head of the bolt is in place in the damper support, the bolt adjacent the head will strike the edge of the damper should the bolt tendto become disengaged, to lock the bolt in its proper position.

It is a further feature of my invention. that theenlarged barrel formed by the fold in the clamping plate acts to guide the .pivot bolt into proper engaging position. As the shank of the pivot bolt is extended through the opening in I the fold of the damper support the inclined edges of the enlarged barrel tend to guide the head of the bolt into proper engaging position.

It is an additional feature'of my invention to provide a damper support which may be made of sheet material of any desired thickness and which may be inexpensively manufactured and sold.

An additional object of my invention is to provide a damper support having a spacer means, such as a washer or the like, secured integrally thereto, so that it is not necessary to align the washer, the damper support and the opening in the air duct or the like, before the pivot bolt may be passed therethrough. 'With the present construction it is only necessary to align the damper support with the opening in the air duct and to drop the pivot bolt into place, the construction being such as to guide the pivot bolt into proper engaging position.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will be more clearlyand fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawing forming a part of my specification:

Figure 1 is a transverse sectionalview through an air duct illustrating my damper and damper supporting means in position.

Figure 2 is a front elevation view of the upper damper support illustrating the construction thereof.

, Figure 3 is an end View of the damper supporting means illustrated in Figure 2 showing the construction thereof.

Figure 4 is a transverse section through the damper support illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the position of the section being indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a front elevation view of the lower damper supporting means used in conjunction with the damper shown in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an end view of the damper support means illustrated in Figure 5.

Figure 7 i a. cross-sectional view through the dampershowing .the damper supporting means illustrated in Figures 5 and 6.

Figure 8 is a view of the died out blank from which the lower damper support is constructed. Figure 9 is a perspective view of the lower pivot bolt.

The damper A is mounted in themairduct 1B,, or the like, through the use of an upper damper supporting means C and a lowerudamperzrsupporting means D. As will be later pointed .out .in detail, the damper A is pivotally mounted to swing into open or closed position.

The air duct B and damperA may be of any suitable and desired form and is shown in "the drawing -as being rectangularin cross section. Obviously my damper supporting means could be used for-other forms of dampers than the one disclosed in th-e drawing.

1 -23 will readily accommodate this edge.

The upper damper supporting means C includes apair of relatively inclined clamping plates Ill and H which are connected by means of an enlarged barrel edge |.2. As best illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawing, the plate 10 is substantially flat throughout the entire area and the enlarged barrel fold is all to one side of this plate. The rounded barrel "edge is provided with a certain amount of spring tension, so that the plates l0 and H have a tendency to clamp the damper plate A therebetween. The plates I0 and H normally incline together 'atthe edge thereof opposite the folded edge |2. Thus, the thicker the damper used, themore nearly parallel the plates I0 and will come, the plates H] and II grip the damper tightly along their free edges, butmore loosely engage it near the fold I 2.

The damper plate A extendsbetween the opposed plates I0 and and as the edge of the damper A is folded or beaded, as illustrated at I3, the barrel shaped fold provides ample room forthis edge or head. The plate holds the damper A tightly "against the hat plate t0. punching through the openings M, the damper material is punctured to form spurs which extend into the opening [4 in the .plate l0, thus holding the damper from lateral movement with respect to the support C.

Extending along. an edge of the plate H and forming an integral part thereof, .1 provide :a channel [5 which extends substantially beyond the folded edge 12. This channel includes a channel base [6 which is substantially parallel to the plate and with 'a 'pair of opposed slides l1 and 1-9, which-provide :a pivot for the damper A.

The channel 5, as illustrated, extendsbeyo'nd the folded edge l2 and is cut separate from the plate It so as not-to be bentwith theplates I0 and l I' when forming the told 12. With this construction a pivot is providedwhioh isintegrall with the damper "support 0 and which is designed to extend through a suitable aperture "ln=' the duct B.

The damper support '13 is best' illustralted in Figures '5, -6, 7, and 8 -of the drawing. "This-su pport comprises a single sheet of'material' bes't illustrated in Figure 8 of the drawing. Thesupport is folded between its ends to provide a substantially flat clamping plate 2| and an inclined clamping plate 22 which is connected to the clamping 2| by a barrel-shaped fold 23. The barrel-shaped fold 23 extends along the lower edge of the clamp and encloses the lower edge of the damper a. The upper free edges of the plates 2| and 22 grip the damper A tightly, but these plates are wider apart adjacent the fold 23. Obviously even though the damper A is provided with a beaded or folded edge 24, as illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawing, the barrel edge The enlarged shape of the fold also may be used to provid'ea spring tension between the clamping plates2| and 22.

'The'inclined clamping plate 22 urges the dam- Lper it under spring tension against the flat clamping plate 2|. The thicker the damper which is sandwiched between the plates 2| and 22, the more nearly will the plate 22 be parallel to the plate 2|. To' hold the damper A to the support D, it is only necessary to punch through the openings 25 in the plate 22 forcing the material punched from the. damper A as spurs or projections into the openings 26 in the plates 2|. These-spurs or'burrs of metal hold the damper from lateral movement with respect to the clamp.

A multisided hole 2-! is provided in the fold 23 to accommodate the shank 29 of the pivoted bolt 3|]. In orderthat the .pivot bolt may be inserted into place after the damper has been properly aligned with the pivot bolt receiving apertures in the air duct, the plates 2| and 22 have a V laterally extending lip 3| on one edge thereof which forms a channel 32 to receive the pivot bolt 30. Furthermore, so that the pivot bolt may be inserted and removed a notch 33 is cut in the edge. of the plate '22, the bolt 30 may be inserted or removed without difficulty. As the plate 2| is flat throughout its entire area and as the entire fol-d 23 is preferably to one side of the plane of v the plate 2||, by providing the notch 33 in the plate-.22, the bolt 30 may be readily removed.

The pivot bolt 30 is provided With flattened sides 34 which engage the sides of the multisided opening 21 to insure rotation of the clamping support D, and accordingly the dam-per A, together with the pivot bolt 3|]. A substantially T-shaped head 35 is provided on the clamping bolt,--.which-head engages :in the channel 33 and which assists in causing rotation of the support Din unison with the clamping bolt 30. I

-'One side of the bolt head 35 is cut away to provide 'ashoulder 31 adjacent the head 35. This shoulder .31 engages the marginal edge of the damper Acwhen theibolt is in place, thus prevent- .ing; removal of theubolt when it is once in posi- .tion. .Theiinclined walls of the channel 32 acts to ,guide'the head 35 of the bolt 30 into place and onceitis in position the shoulder 31 engages beneath. the edge oft-thedamper A to hold the bolt locked in'engaging position.

.-'Awasher orispa'cer element 39 .is preferably spot welded or otherwise afiixed to the lower surface ofithe Jfol'd 123-. between thezplates .2 |and 22. The lowensurfa'ceof the told 23 is 'preferablysubstantiallly hat to correspond with. "the upper surface of the washer and -byrse'curimg the washer-39 :directly to' the supporting bracket orclamp D, there is' no necessity -for aligning a washer with the 30 externally of the duct B and an operating lever 4| is inserted onto the shank 29 and is held in place by a wing nut 42. The aperture through the operating lever 41, to accommodate the pivot bolt 30, is so shaped as to cause rotation of the pivot bolt in unison with the operating lever 41.

In assembling the set, the holes 20 and 43 are punched in alignment through the duct B with any suitable instrument, these holes extending coaxially through the top and bottom of the 'duct. The supports C and D are attached to the damper A in the manner described. The damper A is inserted into the duct in tilted position until the pivot l5 aligns with the hole 2|], whereupon the pivot I5 is inserted through the hole and the damper may be moved into upright position. The pivot bolt is inserted in its aperture 21, dropping through the washer 39 into engagement with the inner surface of the duct. When the hole 43 aligns with the bolt 30, the bolt drops through the hole 43, and may be drawn into proper position. The washer 40, handle or crank 4|, and nut 42 are then placed in position on the bolt 30, and the assembly is complete.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my damper regulator set, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiments thereof, I desire to have it understood that these are only illustrative of a means of carrying out my invention and that obvious changes may be made Within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A damper support comprising a pair of opposed clamping plates connected together. by an enlarged tubular fold along one edge thereof, said enlarged fold being positioned entirely on one side of one of said clamping plates,said enlarged fold having an aperture therethrough, a pivot bolt having shank designed to extend through said aperture, a head on said pivot bolt, the other of said clamping plates having a notch therein positioned substantially in registry with said aperture and through which the head of said pivot bolt may extend in inserting and removing the same.

2. A damper support comprising a pair of clamping plates connected by an enlarged tubular fold along one edge thereof, a pivot bolt extending through said fold adjacent one end thereof,a notch in the head of said pivot bolt, said notch designed to engage the edge of the damper positioned between said clamping plates.

3. A damper support in combination with a damper, said damper support comprising a pair of clamping plates in closely spaced relation connected by an enlarged tubular fold along one edge thereof, said fold being of an interior width substantially greater than the space between said plates; said tubular fold having an aperture therein, a pivot bolt extending through said aperture and through said duct having its axis substantially parallel to the plane of said clamping plates, a head on said bolt in said tubular fold, and a damper clamped between said clamping plates.

4. A damper clip comprising a, pair of opposed clamping plates in closely spaced relation connected by an enlarged tubular fold along one edge thereof, said tubular fold being of a width substantially greater than the space between said plates, said tubular fold having an aperture therethrough near one end thereof, and pivot bolt means extending through said tubular fold, said pivot bolt having a head of a width greater than the distance between said plates positioned in said tubular fold, the damper being secured between said opposed clamping plates.

5. A damper support comprising a pair of opposed clamping plates connected by an enlarged tubular fold along one edge thereof, said tubular fold containing the edge of thedamper, the tubular fold having an aperture therethrough near one end thereof, a notch in one of said clamping plates adjacent said one end, and a pivot bolt extendable through said aperture, said pivot bolt having a head of a size to pass through said notch in said one clamping plate during insertion and removal.

6. A damper support comprising a pair of opposed clamping plates connected together by an enlarged tubular fold along one edge thereof, said folded edge forming a tube and extending entirely on one side of one of said clamping plates, a pivot bolt extending through said tubular fold to pivotally support the damper, a head on said bolt positioned in said tubular fold, and washer means secured integrally to said tubular fold coaxial with said pivot bolt.

7. A damper support comprising a pair of clamping plates connected by a tubular fold along one edge thereof, one end of said tubular fold projecting beyond said clamping plates to form a channel, an aperture through said fold, and a pivot bolt extending through said aperture to pivotally support the damper.

8. A damper support comprising a pair of opposed .clamping plates connected together by an enlarged tubular fold along one edge thereof, said tubular fold having an aperture therethrough, a pivot bolt extending through said aperture and including an enlarged head designed to engage in said tubular fold, one of said clamping plates having a notch therein through which said head may pass for insertion and removal of said pivot bolt, and a washer integrally secured to said tubular fold in alignment with said aperture therein.

MAURICE H. FOSSUM. 

